bigger than the stuff you’ve been feeding us so far.’
Hunter was emphatic. ‘It is bigger, this is bigger than anything I ever had. It’s the biggest.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ Ferguson’s mask of scepticism remained. ‘All right, young man. Go ahead. I’m from Missouri.’
Hunter braced himself, raised his voice as if it were a boldface headline. ‘Exclusive in the Chronicle. SEX SURROGATE OPERATION TAKES OVER HILLSDALE!’
‘What?’
‘Exactly. Found out about it last night. Unimpeachable source. Trained sex surrogates from around the country have gone to work today for a new sex clinic that just opened in our fair city. You know what sex surrogates are?’
‘Knew about them while you were still wetting your pants.’ A flicker of interest had crossed the editor’s face. It was as if he was talking to himself. ‘Sex surrogates in LA, Chicago, New York, to be expected. In pure little Hillsdale, never. Are you sure you’re sure?’
‘I’m positive, Otto. And I can prove it.’
‘Tell me about it.’
Excitedly, without revealing Suzy Edwards’s name or position, Hunter told him about it, told Ferguson about the new Freeberg Clinic, Dr Arnold Freeberg, the six sex surrogates from around the country who had gathered here and been assigned to work. ‘Right now in Hillsdale. They’re loose in Hillsdale. I say that’s not a lead, that’s a super story.’
‘Could be,’ Ferguson conceded, ‘could very well be. Depends. How would you go about getting such a story?’
‘From the inside, by joining up. Becoming a patient. Rapping
with Dr Freeberg as a patient. And rolling in the hay with one of his paid female sex surrogates. Then I’d expose the whole mess. You’d have headlines for weeks.’
‘A sting operation,’ said Ferguson, half to himself. ‘Yes, that would be the way to do it. It could be big, no question.’ He considered it, then frowned. ‘Only I see some problems … one in particular. If you applied as a patient, a professional therapist like Freeberg would see right through you. You’d never get away with it if you faked it.’ He narrowed his eyes on Hunter. ‘Or would you be faking it? Maybe you know you’d qualify for treatments?’
Hunter’s cheeks reddened ever so slightly. ‘Never mind about that, Otto. Don’t make me spell it out for you. Let’s say I could qualify. But, frankly, I don’t have the ready cash to get treatments from a sex surrogate.’
‘What are we talking about, Chet?’
‘$5,000 on the line.’
‘That’s a hefty amount for a fuck,’ said Ferguson.
‘It’s for our story, Otto. HIGHEST PAID PROSTITUTES IN COUNTRY NOW IN HILLSDALE! How does that sound?’
‘Anyway, money isn’t an issue when there’s a really big story.’
‘Well, then, let’s go.’
But Ferguson was hesitant. He fell back against the slats of his chair, thinking. ‘There’s one more thing - another problem …’ he began. ‘You know, Chet, that’s a pretty raunchy story for a family newspaper like ours … unless ’
‘Unless what?’
‘Unless we could turn this from a smirking expose into a newspaper’s civic duty - a political issue and crusade to clean up fair Hillsdale.’ He mused aloud. ‘Prostitution is the world’s oldest profession. Now we have the world’s newest profession, the sex surrogate, who is also paid to give a piece of ass in the guise of a cure. If we could just make this into a community campaign. Maybe get your friend the Reverend Josh Scrafield interested, part of his ongoing clean-up campaign - ’
‘I could get Scrafield for you in a minute, Otto. Once he learns about this, he’ll grab it and run with it.’
‘ and then there’s one more element, the wrap-up element that would make it possible for us to print this. If you could get Scrafield to storm in on the DA, Hoyt Lewis, and have him reveal the whole secret operation, and get the District Attorney’s office to
indict this Dr Freeberg for illegal pandering
Hunter was emphatic. ‘It is bigger, this is bigger than anything I ever had. It’s the biggest.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ Ferguson’s mask of scepticism remained. ‘All right, young man. Go ahead. I’m from Missouri.’
Hunter braced himself, raised his voice as if it were a boldface headline. ‘Exclusive in the Chronicle. SEX SURROGATE OPERATION TAKES OVER HILLSDALE!’
‘What?’
‘Exactly. Found out about it last night. Unimpeachable source. Trained sex surrogates from around the country have gone to work today for a new sex clinic that just opened in our fair city. You know what sex surrogates are?’
‘Knew about them while you were still wetting your pants.’ A flicker of interest had crossed the editor’s face. It was as if he was talking to himself. ‘Sex surrogates in LA, Chicago, New York, to be expected. In pure little Hillsdale, never. Are you sure you’re sure?’
‘I’m positive, Otto. And I can prove it.’
‘Tell me about it.’
Excitedly, without revealing Suzy Edwards’s name or position, Hunter told him about it, told Ferguson about the new Freeberg Clinic, Dr Arnold Freeberg, the six sex surrogates from around the country who had gathered here and been assigned to work. ‘Right now in Hillsdale. They’re loose in Hillsdale. I say that’s not a lead, that’s a super story.’
‘Could be,’ Ferguson conceded, ‘could very well be. Depends. How would you go about getting such a story?’
‘From the inside, by joining up. Becoming a patient. Rapping
with Dr Freeberg as a patient. And rolling in the hay with one of his paid female sex surrogates. Then I’d expose the whole mess. You’d have headlines for weeks.’
‘A sting operation,’ said Ferguson, half to himself. ‘Yes, that would be the way to do it. It could be big, no question.’ He considered it, then frowned. ‘Only I see some problems … one in particular. If you applied as a patient, a professional therapist like Freeberg would see right through you. You’d never get away with it if you faked it.’ He narrowed his eyes on Hunter. ‘Or would you be faking it? Maybe you know you’d qualify for treatments?’
Hunter’s cheeks reddened ever so slightly. ‘Never mind about that, Otto. Don’t make me spell it out for you. Let’s say I could qualify. But, frankly, I don’t have the ready cash to get treatments from a sex surrogate.’
‘What are we talking about, Chet?’
‘$5,000 on the line.’
‘That’s a hefty amount for a fuck,’ said Ferguson.
‘It’s for our story, Otto. HIGHEST PAID PROSTITUTES IN COUNTRY NOW IN HILLSDALE! How does that sound?’
‘Anyway, money isn’t an issue when there’s a really big story.’
‘Well, then, let’s go.’
But Ferguson was hesitant. He fell back against the slats of his chair, thinking. ‘There’s one more thing - another problem …’ he began. ‘You know, Chet, that’s a pretty raunchy story for a family newspaper like ours … unless ’
‘Unless what?’
‘Unless we could turn this from a smirking expose into a newspaper’s civic duty - a political issue and crusade to clean up fair Hillsdale.’ He mused aloud. ‘Prostitution is the world’s oldest profession. Now we have the world’s newest profession, the sex surrogate, who is also paid to give a piece of ass in the guise of a cure. If we could just make this into a community campaign. Maybe get your friend the Reverend Josh Scrafield interested, part of his ongoing clean-up campaign - ’
‘I could get Scrafield for you in a minute, Otto. Once he learns about this, he’ll grab it and run with it.’
‘ and then there’s one more element, the wrap-up element that would make it possible for us to print this. If you could get Scrafield to storm in on the DA, Hoyt Lewis, and have him reveal the whole secret operation, and get the District Attorney’s office to
indict this Dr Freeberg for illegal pandering
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